Buying Welsh food important as ever

The Farmers' Union of Wales' "Help Cut Food Miles...Buy The Welsh One" campaign is just as important now as it was when launched over three years ago, the union's Montgomeryshire-based president Gareth Vaughan has stressed.

 

Mr Vaughan said there was a greater demand for local food produced in Wales than ever before.

 

"Recently our Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones expressed a wish to see all supermarkets in Wales give prominence to local and Welsh food," said Mr Vaughan.

 

"And I wholeheartedly agree with her suggestion that if supermarkets fail to stock Welsh goods people should move their trade elsewhere.

 

"The Minister conceded that a number of supermarkets have made significant developments on this issue over the last few years - but not all.

 

"I also support her for urging consumers to make their views known to supermarkets if they are disappointed by their lack of local produce.

  

Mr Vaughan recalled that the "Buy The Welsh One" campaign was launched during the 2007 Royal Welsh Show after Defra statistics revealed a dramatic drop in self-sufficiency in UK food and drink products over the previous 10 years as supermarkets sold ever-increasing amounts of imported produce.

 

"Between 1995 and 1997 Britain was just over 70% self-sufficient in food but that figure plummeted to around 58% by 2006," he said.

 

"Such a drastic reduction is a worrying trend that is having serious consequences on our farming industry and climatic conditions and we demand that imports are cut back drastically."